justin
wadstein
Justin Wadstein got his start in pizza at age 14 in his grandparents’ pizza shop in Madera, CA. He then went on to manage the kitchen at Kianti’s, his aunt’s pizza and pasta restaurant in Santa Cruz, where he honed his pizza making skills and first began competing in acrobatic dough tossing. He first competed at the World Pizza Games in 2005 and was invited to join the World Pizza Champions team. Since that first competition, he has competed in Las Vegas, Chicago, and Italy and won 14 first-place titles, many of which are for his acrobatic dough-tossing skills. His talent has landed him on The Queen Latifah Show, Kathy Lee and Hoda, Vice Munchies, The Steve Harvey Show, Access Daily, and Fox’s Game of Talents, to name a few. He is featured in the 2019 edition of Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
After a few years managing the Los Gatos, CA location of Pizza My Heart, Justin opened “Sleight of Hand Pizza” in 2017, a mobile pizza business based in Santa Cruz, CA. He and his wife operate the business, which now includes two mobile wood-fired ovens and a brick-and-mortar location at The Cruz Room in Santa Cruz. Sleight of Hand is known in the Santa Cruz food truck scene for their artisan sourdough pies and in the wedding and event world for their catering prowess in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and the Bay Area.
Justin believes that pizza is ever-evolving, and he strives to change and grow in his craft. He loves experimenting with innovative flavors and combinations and believes that quality and organic ingredients are the key to good pizza. He lives in Santa Cruz, CA, and when he’s not making pizza, he can be found at his daughter’s dance competitions or taking his son out to enjoy nature.
